Molecular interaction of α-synuclein with tubulin influences on the polymerization of microtubule in vitro and structure of microtubule in cells

Mol Biol Rep. 2010 Oct;37(7):3183-92. doi: 10.1007/s11033-009-9899-2. Epub 2009 Oct 14.

Abstract

Microtubule dynamics is essential for many vital cellular processes such as in intracellular transport, metabolism, and cell division. Evidences demonstrate that α-synuclein may associate with microtubular cytoskeleton and its major component, tubulin. In the present study, the molecular interaction between α-synuclein and tubulin was confirmed by GST pull-down assay and co-immunoprecipitation. The interacting regions within α-synuclein with tubulin were mapped at the residues 60-100 of α-synuclein that is critical for the binding activity with tubulin. Microtubule assembly assays and sedimentation tests demonstrated that α-synuclein influenced the polymerization of tubulin in vitro, revealing an interacting region-dependent feature. Confocal microscopy detected that exposures of α-synuclein proteins inhibited microtubule formation in the cultured cells, with a length-dependent phenomenon. Our data highlight a potential role of α-synuclein in regulating the microtubule dynamics in neurons. The association of α-synuclein with tubulin may further provide insight into the biological and pathophysiological function of synuclein.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Survival
  • Cricetinae
  • Humans
  • Microtubules / chemistry*
  • Microtubules / metabolism*
  • Mutant Proteins / metabolism
  • Nephelometry and Turbidimetry
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Interaction Mapping
  • Protein Transport
  • Rabbits
  • Recombinant Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Solutions
  • Transfection
  • Tubulin / isolation & purification
  • Tubulin / metabolism*
  • alpha-Synuclein / chemistry
  • alpha-Synuclein / metabolism*

Substances

  • Mutant Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • SNCA protein, human
  • Solutions
  • Tubulin
  • alpha-Synuclein